Transgenic/knockout mice — tools to study autoimmunity

Transgenic and knockout mice have been valuable tools for clarifying the roles of individual cell types and effector molecules in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. During the past year, new strains have been added to the large array of transgenic mice, with broad or tissue-specific expression of transgene products. These laboratory models, as well as knockout mice lacking genes for a particular molecule, have greatly enhanced our understanding of autoimmune disease.